Research Project Final - Japanese Theatre - Noh and Kabuki PDF

Preview

Summary

Download Research Project Final - Japanese Theatre - Noh and Kabuki PDF

Description

McKenzie Murphy May 7, 2018 MUS 185 HA

Japanese Theatre: Noh and Kabuki By: McKenzie Murphy

Theatrical arts in Japanese culture have developed since the 14 th century into many different styles and types. The differences in style can be attributed to the unique culture that they were formed in and the audience in which they were viewed. This paper aims to examine the two most popular forms of traditional Japanese theatre: Noh and Kabuki. While both emphasize drama and tell stories, they both convey messages in different ways. I chose this topic because Japanese culture, in general, is very intriguing to me and I find the various elements of Japanese theatre to be aesthetically pleasing,

1|Page

McKenzie Murphy May 7, 2018 MUS 185 HA

including costumes, masks, and music. I hope to explore these two forms of theatre by researching and responding to the following questions: 

What is the history of Kabuki and Noh Theatre, including the influential founders?



How are both theatre styles displayed differently?



What instruments are used in each type?



How do masks play a role and showcase emotions?



Where are modern day locations for watching performances and how much do they cost?

In completing my research, I have acquired my sources primarily from the internet with the first being an article that explains the instruments used in kabuki, the second quickly clarifies how to differentiate them, the third details the history of Noh, while the fourth and seventh are an online guide to both traditional theatre types. Sources five and six outline briefly the masks, music, and instruments of noh, the eighth source briefly details their history and interesting facts while my final source shows a traditional Noh performance. I hope this paper will be an informational reference for people who would like to have a better understanding of Japanese culture and theatre and/or have an interest in experiencing a performance for themselves. After thoroughly outlining the details of both Noh and Kabuki Theatre, I will give a brief response on which type I find the most fascinating and would personally be interested in attending. Noh theatre was created by Kan’ami and his son Zeami in the 14th century and “was developed together with kyogen, which are comical pieces

2|Page

McKenzie Murphy May 7, 2018 MUS 185 HA

performed during interludes of the main noh performance.” (“Noh Theater”) It gained a lot of popularity among political officials, namely the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu in 1358. “Military leaders who lived much later were also enchanted by noh, including warlords Oda Nobunaga (1534-82), Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-98), and Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1616).” (“History of Noh”) By the beginning of the Edo/Tokugawa Period (1603-1867), Noh was made the official ceremonial art of the shogunate. At the same time, the first performance of Kabuki was viewed in 1603. Kabuki theatre was created by Izumo no Okuni in the early 17th century. It was originally performed solely by women until the shogunate declared women unfit to be performers, therefore, today only men play roles, even of female characters. While both theatre styles focus on telling a story, the difference is, Noh utilizes mainly music while Kabuki uses dancing, acting, and posing. Another difference between Kabuki and Noh is that performers wear masks to show emotion in Noh while performers in Kabuki use paint and heavy makeup. Noh masks typically showcase realistic, somewhat lifelike faces with different expressions and Kabuki makeup is more vibrantly colorful, making use of mainly white with red and blue undertones, that involve a preset expression. The Noh theatre stage usually has performers in the center with some musicians in the background and stage hands behind the scenes. Occasionally, there’s a chorus on the side, if the play calls for it. In Kabuki, the stage is very narrow with a walkway down the middle, allowing for better audience engagement. 3|Page

McKenzie Murphy May 7, 2018 MUS 185 HA

Noh theatre has a hayashi, a group of musicians who provide musical accompaniment for the performance, making use of mainly aerophones and membranophones. “The hayashi is made up of four instruments: fue (flute), kotsuzumi (shoulder drum), ōtsuzumi (hip drum), and taiko (stick drum).” (the-noh) The musicians in the hayashi are familiar with all the instruments and know how to play each one. However, they usually only use one specific type and play it throughout their whole noh career. Usually the hayashi has a leader called the taiko. The drummers typically tend to use their voices to assist with time and drive the rhythm. With kabuki, they also use a Noh ensemble (hayashi), however, there are some differences, being the addition of singing, use of idiophones as well as chordophones, and having off stage music. Each performance has a prelude and the two main kabuki music types are dance and lyric. Additional instruments used in kabuki, along with the hayashi instruments, are the three stringed shamisen, similar to a banjo and idiophones like the xylophone, gong, and sutra bell which are geza instruments. Because the performances are usually much longer, Kabuki has a geza-ongaku “located behind a bamboo curtain invisible to the audience on the downstage right part of the stage in a room called the Kuromisu or ‘black curtain’.” (Goodwin, 2009) Some major geza instruments are Okedo (drum), Dora (gong), Rei (sutra bell), and Mokkin (xylophone), just to name a few, although there are many. Masks are exclusively used in Noh Theatre. Origins of the noh mask are not fully known but are dated as early as the Muromachi period (1392-1573). 4|Page

McKenzie Murphy May 7, 2018 MUS 185 HA

Prior to that time, masks in general had spiritual implications but during this period, the mask began to change and lose religious significance. Over time, performers began using the masks to hide the unappealing features of their faces to focus on making noh beauty more compelling. Feelings and emotion are difficult to read from noh masks because they are said to have “neutral” expressions. The performer is usually the one to permeate the mask with emotion. To do this, the performers use techniques where they tilt the masks up or down, giving different expressions. “With terasu (tilting upwards) the mask appears to be slightly smiling or laughing and the expression lightens somewhat. While kumorasu (tilting downwards), produces a slight frown and can express sadness or crying.” (the-noh) Modern day locations for watching performances are mainly in major cities like Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka. The Kabukiza Theatre and National Theatre are two Kabuki venues in Tokyo, as well as the Minamiza Theater in Kyoto, Shochikuza Theater in Osaka, and Hakataza Theater in Fukuoka. Some “theaters no longer primarily serve as venues for performances, but are maintained for visitors to experience the feel and structure of a traditional kabuki theater.” (“Kabuki”) Mainly, the Kanamaruza Theater in Kotohira and the Uchikoza Theater in Uchiko. Tickets “typically cost around 2,000 yen for a single act or between 3,000 and 25,000 yen for an entire segment depending on the seat quality.” (“Kabuki”) This equates to about $20 for a single performance and $30 to $250 for an entire act. Noh venues include the National Noh Theatre in Tokyo, the Otsuki Noh Theatre in Osaka, the 5|Page

McKenzie Murphy May 7, 2018 MUS 185 HA

Nagoya Noh Theatre in Nagoya, the Kanze Noh Theater in Ginza, and the Cerulean Tower Noh Theatre in Shibuya. These venues are typically indoor but there are some outdoor performances in shrines and temples that honor the traditional nature of Noh theatre. “Miyajima's Itsukushima Shrine (where the stage stands on pillars in the sea), Hiraizumi's Chusonji Temple, Kyoto's Fushimi Inari Shrine and Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine are some places where such outdoor stages can be found.” (“Noh Theater”) Performances at these outdoor locations do not occur very often and tickets can be hard to acquire. Usually, “Tickets range from 3,000 up to 12,500 yen, and can be bought over the counter or over the internet.” (“Noh Theater”) In U.S. dollars this would be roughly $30 to $125. Honestly, both types of theatre seem very interesting and I would personally love to at least see each type once. However, I think Kabuki interests me a bit more. I really like the intenseness of the makeup used by actors because I feel that it tells a more vivid story. I also like the setup of the stage, having a walkway down the middle so the audience can interact more with the performance. The music also seems more detailed and powerful to me because it makes use of more instrument types. Although the price of tickets can be pretty expensive, I like that you can choose whether you want to view just one act or a whole segment. All in all, both Kabuki and Noh Theatre are two very fascinating traditional forms of Japanese theatre and entertainment that use music and dance to tell stories. While both express the stories in different ways, their 6|Page

McKenzie Murphy May 7, 2018 MUS 185 HA

themes are similar in that they both showcase medieval Japanese culture and have become a major tradition of Japan.

Works Cited Goodwin, Will. “Musical Instruments of Kabuki.” asiantheatre.wikispaces. 1 Nov. 2009. 7 May 7, 2018.

“Difference Between Kabuki and Noh.” DifferenceBetween. 3 Jan. 2013. 19 Feb. 2018.

“History of Noh.” Kid’s Web Japan. 22 Mar 2018. “Kabuki.” japan-guide. 19 Feb. 2018. “Mask.” the-noh.com. 7 May 2018. “Music.” the-noh.com. 7 May 2018. “Noh Theater.” japan-guide. 19 Feb. 2018. “Your Guide to Japanese Theater.” TheaterSeatStore. 19 Feb. 2018.

“坂東玉三郎 "大蛇" Tamasaburo "Orochi" (Great Serpent) part 1.” YouTube. 15 Mar. 2007. 7 May 2018. 7|Page...